Second Choice
by maximumpotter
Summary: Max doesn't want to be Fang's second choice, but she's also afraid of being his first. No wings, Fax. Four-shot. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I don't think I've posted in over a ****_year_****. Crazy how time flies. Oh, and I deleted my other story, if you didn't notice. It was bad. Thanks for reading :-)**

_Chapter 1 / February 9, 2013 / 2,375 words_

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I'm in my room with this beautiful boy, and we're on my bed, and he's sucking on my neck, and my fingers are tangled in his silky black hair. But when his lips come back up to mine, I remember that I'm actually not. Instead I'm with this blond boy, who's perfect for me and completely sweet, but it's not quite right.

When I'm with him, I'm never thinking about him. I'm thinking about my best friend and wondering how his lips would taste and how soft and warm they'd be; how this would feel if these were his arms around me, or his thumbs drawing circles on my hips, or his hands massaging my thighs. And that's where the spark in our relationship comes from. Dylan is so infatuated with me that I don't feel that bad about being his girlfriend, and I only am to distract myself from the pain of unrequited love.

I always wonder if Dylan's figured it out. He's liked me for years and asked me to go out with him five times before I said yes. So I'm not sure that he would break up with me if he found out I was in love with someone else.

I know that it's really horrible of me to use him like this; I'm so selfish. But being in love with Fang is unbelievably painful, and feeling loved by Dylan can be somewhat of a relief. Especially when Fang is going out with the girl I hate more than anyone, the girl who's so mean to me at school, the red-headed girl who's more popular than me, prettier than me, more feminine than me... I basically can't compete at all.

I'm not sure if Fang knows how Lissa treats me. I'm afraid to ask. I'm generally pretty tough, but everything she says to me is about how Fang isn't attracted to me and never will be, so it just really hits a soft spot in me and I can't say anything back. I know that he loves me, but I'm not actually a _girl_ to him. Maybe he thinks of me as a sister, but more likely just one of the guys.

"Max."

It's not fair. I'd be a way sweeter girlfriend, but he's just so out of my league. I'm not a complete loser or anything. Dylan's actually pretty popular, but Fang is one of the most popular people in the school, and the most popular guys only date the most beautiful girls.

"Maaaaax."

I hate seeing him at her locker, kissing her, touching her in front of everyone. He's proud of having her as his girlfriend; he wants everyone to see.

"MAX!"

I finally snapped out of it. Whoa.

"You're on another planet, sweetie," Dylan said, smiling and stroking my cheek gently with his thumb. I felt so guilty.

"Yeah, sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me," I lied with a half smile.

Dylan was here on a school night because my family and Fang's family eat dinner together on Wednesday nights, being neighbors and all, and we decided to invite Dylan and Lissa this time. So fun. Ha ha, not. Fang and Lissa were at his house, probably fucking or something. Dinner was in a half hour.

"I think I better see if my mom needs help with dinner," I said, standing up abruptly. He followed me downstairs.

I helped my mom set the table and held back from poisoning Lissa's water glass. She'd probably be a total suck up to my parents, too, just to piss me off.

The Rides (Fang's family) finally got here and we all sat in the kitchen. I was next to Dylan, across from Lissa. Oh, boy.

I tried to zone out during most of the conversation in order to not have to listen to Lissa, but then she talked to me directly.

"Have you ever heard Nick play guitar, Max? He's sooooo good at it," she said with a little too much enthusiasm.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yes."

"Oh... Well, he totally wrote a song about me. I found it in his stuff," she bragged.

My heart sank. I didn't know he liked her that much.

Fang's eyes widened a bit. "Uh, what?"

"In one of your notebooks there was this super cute song about a girl! I love it, babe, you're the best," Lissa explained, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"When did you go through my stuff?" Fang asked slowly.

"Oh, today when you were in the bathroom, hon. I saw all those notebooks and –"

Fang cut her off. "You should've asked me first, Lissa. Please don't ever do that again." He paused. "You didn't... take anything, did you?"

"Oh I ripped out the one about me, that's all, though. I wanted to show everyone at dinner," she answered sweetly, giving a special look in my direction. Ugh.

"Can I see it?" Fang asked calmly, though I could tell he was pretty unhappy with her. Lissa took it out of her purse and gave it to him.

He skimmed it and smiled. I poked at my broccoli like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and then there was a piece of notebook paper in front of my face. This made me kind of angry; I really didn't care about how in love he was with Lissa. Okay, that's a lie. I cared. A lot. But I didn't want to read some stupid song he wrote for her.

I took the paper from his hand, and he was still smiling. When I read it, I understood.

In messy boyish writing was a song Fang wrote for _me_ in, like, seventh grade. The lyrics were simple and cheesy, but sweet nonetheless. I remember him playing this for me when I was sad, and I can't remember why I was, but I do remember that was the first time I'd ever heard him sing, and I've probably only heard him a couple times since then. That's the only time I've heard him sing an entire song. I remember crying because it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me, and him holding me for hours afterwards, and... God, I love him so much. I smiled really big back at him and blinked back the little tears in my eyes.

"Lissa, you were looking through a three-year-old notebook. I wrote this for Max a few years ago when she was all upset," he said.

She looked really embarrassed. "Oh, my bad," she muttered, avoiding my eyes. That's right, bitch.

Dylan looked uncomfortable, too, which made me feel guilty yet again.

The rest of the dinner was pretty awkward, but luckily it wasn't for too long. All six of us went into Iggy's room to hang out so that our parents could have the family room.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Iggy suggested that we play truth or dare.

No. Oh, my God. Please, no.

"Isn't that sorta sixth grade, man?" Fang asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No, of course not, stupid! The truths and dares are way better when we're older 'cause we're not pussies anymore!" Iggy explained in a "duh" voice.

"Yeah," I added sarcastically, low enough so only Fang could hear it, as I elbowed him.

Iggy knew that if he played that card, Fang would have to agree. No sixteen-year-old boy wants to be thought of as a pussy. "Alright, if you say so..." Fang agreed.

I rolled my eyes. I _so_ didn't want to play, but I was way too lazy to argue.

"I'll go first," Iggy informed us. "Lissa, truth or dare?" Oh, this'll be good.

"Ummm... Truth." What a dumbass.

"How many guys have you slept with?" Oh, my _God_.

"...Eight," she answered; trying and failing not to look sheepish. Eight?!

Fang, as expected, kept his face emotionless; but I knew he had to be embarrassed, too. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Okay." She played it off as if nothing happened. "Dylan, truth or dare?" Jesus Christ.

"Truth," he chose confidently. Maybe he has nothing to hide.

"How far have you and Max gone?" she asked oh-so-innocently. I bit my lip and blushed. Fuck.

"Uh, that's a real personal one..." Dylan looked so uncomfortable.

"Yeah, so was mine. Just answer it."

"...Third base," he nearly whispered. Which was true. Only a few times, though. It wasn't even something I should be embarrassed about, considering that Dylan and I have been dating for just over six months, but I still wanted to cry. I felt like I was cheating on Fang or something, which I definitely wasn't. Then I realized that Dylan was probably embarrassed because we hadn't gone all the way. Boys.

"Ella, truth or dare?" Dylan moved on. There's no way he'd be hard on her.

"Dare. Please." She didn't look much happier than me.

"Um... Kiss Max." I could handle that.

She crawled over to me and gave me a peck on the lips. I guess he never said a real kiss, ha. We smiled at each other.

"Choose your fate, Igs," she teased as she went back to her spot next to him.

"Dare. Definitely."

"Um... Go lean your head out the window and scream to the world how much you want to do me," she decided, giggling.

He smirked at her, opened his window, and did exactly that. "I LOVE ELLA AND I WANT TO FUCK HER ALL THE TIME!"

Fang made a face and I smiled at him. "So, Fang, truth or dare?" Iggy asked.

"Dare," he answered.

"Kiss the prettiest girl in the room." Wow, Iggy. I expected something more exciting from you. Lissa beamed.

"Wasn't this in that movie we saw a few weeks ago?" Ella asked scornfully.

"Yeah, and it's perfect," he replied, smiling. This must've been his stupid plan all along.

I turned back to Fang, who looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "Oh, God. Please don't make me do this," he pleaded. Did he think I didn't already know the answer? I guess he's just trying to spare my feelings...

"You asked for a dare," Iggy said simply.

Fang moved over to Lissa and kissed her. When he pulled back, she grinned at me. Iggy just raised an eyebrow at Fang.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand now I'm uncomfortable.

"Dylan, truth or dare?" Fang asked casually. Fucking Christ. When is my turn?

"Uh, truth."

"Have you ever cheated on anyone?"

I gave Fang a Look. I won't be surprised if Dylan has, though, considering that he regularly asked me out when he was taken.

Dylan blushed and nodded. "On who?" Fang asked.

"You only get one question," Dylan tried to argue.

"Why wouldn't you be able to say who you've cheated on?" I asked in a tone so calm that it was scary. Did I mention that Dylan sucks at lying?

"Uh... On Allie, Sage..." Dylan trailed off. He's had, like, ten girlfriends or something, by the way.

"Forgetting anyone?" Lissa asked way too sweetly. You've got to be kidding me.

"Did you cheat on my sister?!" Iggy asked angrily. He's a good brother.

Dylan looked like a deer in the headlights. I hate my life.

Fang looked shocked as well; he clearly wasn't expecting that. As much as he wants to embarrass Dylan, he doesn't want to do it at my expense.

Luckily, I wasn't madly in love with Dylan or anything, but it still really hurt to hear this. It meant I wasn't good enough.

"Is this because I wouldn't sleep with you? I told you that it was a really big deal for me, and you just _insisted_ that you were serious about me and that it would be really important to you, too, and you tried to convince me to do it even when I said no, and all the while you're just fucking some other girl on the side?! That's not just getting carried away once, that's flat out _lying_ to me about how you feel about me!" I cried. I can't believe I said that all in one breath.

I stared at him silently, and he wasn't reacting like that desperate boy who asked me to go out with him a hundred times. It was all an act. I was just a conquest. "What a load of bullshit. Who was it with? Really, I'm dying to know," I said, the pain becoming more and more evident in my voice.

"...Lissa."

Oh, wow, the one person that I can't handle him cheating on me with.

I gaped at him for a few moments and willed myself not to cry. "Cool, so Lissa's been right the entire time!" I exclaimed, turning to her. "Thanks for trying to warn me. I shouldn't have ever doubted that everyone ends up picking you over me. Must be nice being so goddamn attractive!"

I could tell Fang was staring at me, but I didn't want to look back at him. So much for keeping my cool. I stood up quickly and went to my own room, shutting the door behind me and plopping facedown on my bed, my face buried in a pillow.

Cool fucking beans.

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**I'd love any sort of comment or suggestion! I'm also debating whether or not to keep this very short (maybe 5 chapters). Thoughts?**

**Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's short, but only because I intend to update very quickly.**

_Chapter 2 / February 11th, 2013 / 1,277 words_

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I can't tell you whether I was sprawled on my bed for five minutes or 45 minutes, but eventually, I heard someone open my door quietly.

"Go away," I whined into my pillow. I could tell it was Fang who laid down next to me when his fingers started tickling my back. Mmmmmm, it's so relaxing...

After a few moments, he spoke. "Max?"

I let out a muffled grunt in response.

"Will you talk to me?" he asked softly. I turned over, but didn't answer him.

"You know that I love you, right? More than anything?" He was staring at me, gauging my reaction.

"Yeah," I answered halfheartedly. _But not in the way I want you to_, I added in my head.

"The things they say don't mean anything," he declared. "Lissa's a jealous bitch, and Dylan's just a complete douchebag. He really does love you, though."

"I highly doubt that," I snorted.

"He does! Being all in love with you totally contradicted with his whole player mentality, so he didn't even know what to do with it," he reasoned. I guess that was possible...

"Whatever. He still chose Lissa over me." _Just like you did._

Fang sighed. "He didn't choose her over you; there's no way he'd do that. He's just an idiot."

That didn't really make sense, but I left it alone.

"I'll beat him up for you at school tomorrow," he offered, and then that half-smile that makes my heart stop was on his face. Ugh, I hate it. It's adorable, and I'm in love with it, and I'm in love with him, and I want to punch him in the face because it's making me swoon over him. What an asshole.

"Just don't let him near me; don't beat him up," I groaned.

"Okay," he chuckled, taking a strand of my hair and twirling it between his fingers. This made me notice how badly I needed a haircut. I like my hair long, but not too long; otherwise, I don't really care what it looks like. However, even I could recognize that my split ends were not so pretty. _I bet Lissa doesn't have split ends._

After a little bit of comfortable silence, Fang broke it yet again.

"Max?" he asked again, uneasily this time.

"Hmm?"

"What exactly has Lissa been saying to you? And why didn't you tell me?"

"A bunch of stuff... And I didn't tell you because she makes you happy," I murmured, unable to look at him.

"I just dumped her, Max. I can't be happy if you're not," he insisted.

"And that's why I didn't tell you," I replied simply.

"Max..." Fang groaned, putting his hands on his face. "You're so much more important to me, don't you get that? The only reason I'm upset is because she was mean to you; I don't really mind that we broke up," he assured me.

I gave him a confused look. "But you love her."

Fang frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"Lissa mentioned it about a hundred times. She always told me that if I broke you two up, you'd be so devastated because you're in love with her, and that I'd never be able to make you fa-" I stopped short.

"What, Max? You'd never be able to do what?" he persisted.

I hesitated. "...I'd never be able to make you fall in love with me like she could. She said I wouldn't be able to replace her and you'd just be heartbroken or whatever," I muttered.

"...That's ridiculous, Max. Did it seem like I was in love with her to you?" _Maybe..._

"I guess not... That wasn't it, though, Fang. All the other shit she said to me doesn't exactly encourage me to be confident; she's pretty convincing," I replied, the pain in my voice reappearing.

"Like what?"

I let out a deep sigh before listing off everything Lissa informed me of. "I just look pathetic trying to get your attention. I'm not the least bit attractive, and the only way guys will see me is as the ugly tomboy, unless they desperately want to hook up with someone. You're only nice to me because we're family friends, et cetera..." There were tears in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

There was a long pause.

"Please tell me you didn't believe any of that. Oh, my God, please," he begged. I wasn't looking at him.

"Well, no, it doesn't sound like you. I know that you care about me. On a bad day, though, it can feel like some of that is at least a little true, you know?" I practically whispered, wringing my hands.

Fang pulled me into his lap so that I was facing him, my legs wrapped around his torso. His hands were on either side of my head, fingers tangled in my hair, thumbs stroking my cheeks. I couldn't breathe. His touch was electric. His face was so close; his lips...

"I may never be able to be this sappy again, so enjoy it while you can," he said softly, locking his eyes with mine and smirking.

"Max, I love you more than anything. I mean it. You are the reason I get up every morning. Hell, you're the reason I'm alive. You are the best friend that I could ever ask for, and I'd be so miserable without you. You are so fucking perfect, Max, and it drives me crazy that you have no idea. You are kind, and loving, and caring, and selfless, and smart, and adorable, and funny..." he listed, dotting each attribute with a little kiss on my face. The butterflies I felt right then were like no other I'd ever felt.

"And most of all, Max," he continued, back to the intense staring, "you're _beautiful_. Everything about you is. I love your eyes and your smile and your hair... You even _smell_ good, for fuck's sake. And obviously, you have a really hot body, but I know if I go into detail in that category, you'll get all uncomfortable," he chuckled. _Yeah, I would get all uncomfortable... Say it anyway!_ "The only reason I didn't kiss you back there is because it didn't work out so well in The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Well, that last part certainly made my heart stop.

I bit my lip as tears streamed down my face. I usually hate crying, and I don't do it in front of other people. Don't get me wrong; I feel like crying a lot, but I always refuse to show that I'm weak.

This time was different, though; I wasn't uncomfortable with him. I felt so safe, and I knew every word he was saying came straight from his heart. I never thought that anyone would say this to me and truly mean it.

"You're perfect, Maximum. Absolutely perfect. And I love you more than you'll ever know," he concluded with a long, tender kiss on my forehead. It still tingled after his lips were gone.

I wrapped my arms around him, buried my head in his chest, and whispered, "I love you too, Fang."

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**Review! Cheers :-)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 / February 13, 2013 / 2,843 words

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Things were back to the way they used to be. Fang and I were inseparable. Now that we were both single, we were comfortable snuggling and watching movies until three in the morning, he started sleeping over again, and we showed more affection for each other. We were completely platonic... but that doesn't mean I wasn't imagining that he loved me back. I earned a few raised eyebrows from my mother over time, but she was the only one who could tell I was always swooning over Fang. Well, I hope she was the only one.

My favorite thing to do was to crawl onto his lap and have him hold me. I could take in his scent, feel his chest rise gently up and down, and listen to his heartbeat. It was all so goddamn corny, but I couldn't help it; I was in love with him! Actually... scratch that. My favorite thing was waking up in the morning in his arms; I could stare at his face right up close and pay attention to every beautiful detail of his body. We never went to bed like this; we must've been doing it in our sleep, but part of me hoped that he did it consciously. I love him way too much for my own good.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist and I leaned back into the embrace. I'd been standing at my locker alone, taking out the notebooks I needed to bring home, and it appeared that Fang was ready to leave. Friday afternoon had finally arrived.

"Okay," I sighed, shutting my locker. "Let's go."

I was relaxing in the passenger's seat of his car as he maneuvered his way out of the school parking lot, but then some familiar red hair caught my eye. There was Lissa, standing outside with her friends, staring at Fang as we passed. When she saw me smirking at her, she turned away. Ha.

I let out a soft sigh as we pulled into Fang's driveway. Time for the weekend.

* * *

"Can we make more?" Max whined. She had eaten the last of the chocolate chip cookies.

"Um, no," I replied, smirking at her. "But I can make more and you can watch." I knew better than to let Max touch any cooking appliances.

"Fiiine," she agreed. She grabbed some of the dry ingredients for me.

I worry about Max and chocolate chip cookies; she loves them a little too much. Like, I think she might choose them over me if a situation of the sort came up. I was totally fine with making them with her, though, because I knew she would sit on the counter next to the bowl I was using and try to steal all the cookie dough when I wasn't looking. It was an opportunity to wrestle with her and feed her chocolate chips straight to her mouth, and God knows I'll do anything that involves getting to touch her.

I loved letting Max just chat away about everything. I'd smile and nod at what she was actually saying, but I'd really be focused on how adorable she was. The way she giggled when something funny had happened or her expression when she was clearly irritated... Both made me want to smile.

When she finished complaining about her history project, I fed her a chunk of cookie dough, and took advantage of the opportunity to sneak a peek at her chest in the v-neck she was wearing when she closed her eyes. She's addicted, I'm telling you.

"Mmm, can we just eat the dough?" she suggested, knowing I'd say no.

"No," I answered firmly, giving her a pointed look and taking the bowl across the kitchen. After I put the pan in the oven, I walked back to her and stood between her legs. She was still sitting on the counter, and we were so close, and it took a lot of my willpower to not kiss her.

"Fang," she murmured absentmindedly as she played with my hair. I just stared back at her with a tiny smile, never taking my eyes off her face.

A couple of minutes later, Max's eyes met mine, and she moved her fingers down to my face, tracing its contours. I was mesmerized. Her hands were unbelievably soft, leaving trails of electricity wherever they traveled. The tension between us was intoxicating me to the point where I couldn't move. It was then that all of a sudden, I realized how fucking screwed I was.

There I was, letting myself become lost in my best friend's touch again. No matter how much effort I put into ignoring my desire for her, my self-control vanished as soon as she gave me that loving look. It made me want to give her the whole world.

Max put her hands on my shoulders, stroking them with her thumbs. I handed her the big spoon I used so she could lick it, and she smiled at me as she did, never breaking our gaze. She had such a hot mouth. And tongue. This was making my mind wander far from cookies...

I subtly inched closer to her, gently placing my hands on her thigh. She kissed my forehead, I kissed her nose, and she let out a cute little whisper of a giggle. Our lips were just centimeters apart, and my adrenaline rush was undeniable.

"Just friends," my ass.

It was that wonderful, exciting moment before a kiss. Max was trembling ever-so-slightly, probably from nerves. Her shallow breaths tickled my cheeks, and there was no doubt we knew exactly what was going on–

"What're you two up to?"

"_Jesus_," I gasped, jolting backwards and bumping into the kitchen island. Max had jumped back, too, and I heard something clatter as she knocked it into the sink. Iggy is such a cockblocker. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before turning to him.

"Ooh, the cookies smell good," he remarked casually. I glared at him.

My sister came to the doorway and smacked him on the arm. "Leave them alone," she hissed, giving him a look. I pleaded for her to rescue me with my eyes.

"Fang, I think something came in the mail for you today," she informed me, gesturing towards a pile of envelopes on the table. _Thank you_, I mouthed. It was just another college letter I got from taking the pre-ACT test, which might sound special to you, but everyone got them.

"SMU," she remarked, "I really can't see you going there." Obviously not.

Ella is two years older than me, as is Iggy, and I'm very close with her. Anything that I couldn't tell Max, I could tell Ella.

Iggy pointed two fingers from his eyes to mine in the universal "I'm watching you" gesture, and I rolled my eyes. He's told me before that he wouldn't mind me dating his sister as long as I didn't hurt her, so I know that he just thought it'd be funny to interrupt us; he wasn't actually trying to keep us apart.

Then the oven beeped. Hallelujah.

Max hopped down from the counter to go get the cookies out. "No way," I teased, grabbing her by the waist and putting her behind me. Then, of course, she wanted to eat them right away. She totally acts like a child sometimes, and it's really cute.

The four of us chatted for a few minutes, and then I fed Max a cookie. I watched her eyes practically roll back into her head as she savored the taste, and the way her tongue came out a little bit to lick some chocolate off her lips... I want to do that.

Max slept at her own house that night, and I didn't really mind, considering how awkward the afternoon was. My sister and I stayed up late together in her room instead.

"Fang, it's obvious she likes you. I still don't see what the problem is," Ella commented.

"But what if she doesn't? What if we end up breaking up anyway?" I argued, this being my routine answer.

"Even if you break up, she still loves you enough that it can't ruin your relationship forever," she insisted.

"Maybe..." I wondered. But the biggest problem for me?

"I'm scared." Ella looked at me concernedly. "I just... I don't know what it'd be like. It would be different; everything would be different. I don't want to lose her," I confessed. I don't think I had told Ella quite this much before, or even admitted this much to myself.

"Of course it'll be scary at first! But it'll be amazing later. I mean, you say you're happy with the way you two are right now, but if you don't make a move, she'll get a boyfriend again, and you'll be all jealous and hurt again," she reasoned.

"...I know. But it's still scary."

Ella sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Someday..."

* * *

"Why don't you tell him you like him?! I don't get it, Max, you're so lucky!" my friend Nudge exclaimed.

"I don't know... It's just too scary. Too much. Too many feelings," I replied.

"Honey, all you're gonna feel is some really intense love for that boy. He loves you! He'll make you swoon even more than usual! You'll make out with him all the time! He'll make you feel sooo special, Max," she crooned. "I'm surprised you haven't pounced on him already!"

"Yeah, well, I'm nervous. He makes me nervous. He makes me feel too much. If we started going out, he'd have even MORE power over my emotions. If he were to break up with me, I'd completely fall apart! I'd die for sure," I insisted.

"He wouldn't do that to you, though. He loves you too much." Would he? Does he? Those were the most important questions.

"I'll tell him for you if you wa―"

"NO," I cut her off. "Absolutely not."

"You drive me crazy," she muttered. Yeah, I drive me crazy too.

A few uneventful weeks had passed since The Incident. Fang and I were normal again, and we acted like the almost-kiss never happened. The majority of the weekends were spent lazily, although there were a few outings with friends. This weekend was different, though; there was a huge party being thrown by one of Fang's popular friends, and we were going. Nudge invited herself over so she could dress me, insisting that I needed to look "really hot so Fang will get jealous when you talk to other guys." Whatever.

She had me in a little black dress that was really tight and made out of some kind of stretchy material. It had three-quarter length sleeves and a low-cut scoop neck. This was the kind of thing the popular girls wore to school dances; it was way more revealing than anything I'd pick for myself, but... I kind of liked it.

Nudge made me shower as soon as she arrived, ordering me to wash my hair and shave. After putting some fancy products that I didn't understand the point of in my hair, she blew it out and curled it. I liked that part, too.

She was doing my makeup for me as we had that discussion about my love life. I can deal with foundation, powder, and mascara myself, but Nudge is way better with eyeshadow and that sort of thing. She kept it subtle, but not too subtle. It was perfect.

Nudge agreed that heels were a bad idea and let me wear my black Toms. "You look HOT!"

"Thanks," I laughed.

* * *

I drove myself and a couple of friends to the party. Max said she'd come, so I was anxious to see her; I hoped I'd get some kind of excuse to make out with her.

We arrived about 45 minutes late, and it was already in full swing. I scanned the crowd for Max as soon as we walked through the door.

After a couple of minutes, I heard my name. "Yo, Nick! You seen your girl yet tonight?" my friend Anthony asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

I frowned in confusion. Did he mean Lissa or Max?

Anthony waved me over to his group, and when I got there, I saw her.

Max looked HOT. Like, hotter than I've ever seen her. I looked her up and down with wide eyes. Everything from her eyes and hair to her ass and legs looked so sexy, and I wanted to walk right up to her and touch every part of her body. Why does she have to leave the house like that?!

I smirked at her. "Damn, Max, you look really hot," I said, wanting to see her reaction.

She looked taken aback and blinked a couple of times. "Um... Thanks," she replied, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I think I'm gonna go get a drink."

I followed her to the drinks. "Any particular reason you dressed up? I mean, I love it, but why tonight?" I asked.

"Nudge went on about how 'I have to feel super hot tonight and make everyone want me, even though I won't want them' or something," she explained, using little air quotes.

I smiled. "So it's working?"

"Not really, actually. I more just feel like I wanna hide in a turtleneck and sweats, but Nudge said I shouldn't be embarrassed. You want one?" she offered as she poured herself a soda. Max didn't really drink at parties.

"No, I'm good." I gestured to the back door. "Do you wanna–"

"Max! Come here!" Nudge ordered, waving her over.

"Well, gotta listen to the boss," she sighed. "See you later, Fang."

"See you." l was gonna ask her to go outside alone with me, but before I knew it, Nudge had her talking to some other guy. Max wasn't very flirty in general, but she sure was good at it. The ass was just staring at her tits, though, so who knows if he even cared about her fake giggles. When she started touching and teasing him, he asked her to go upstairs with him. I was fuming. That guy didn't deserve her at all... but did I deserve her?

I hated how much it upset me that she was hooking up with that guy. I hated how jealous I was of that stupid football player. I needed a drink.

* * *

I only gave the stupid jock a hand job; he was annoying and reeked of pot. I've smoked a few times, but I still can't stand the smell.

I walked back down the stairs to where Nudge and a few of our friends were. She gave me a mischievous smile as she saw me approach.

"You made him jealous, all right. He did _not _look happy," she reported. Okay, that's good, I guess.

"Okay... Well, where is he?" I asked, glancing around nervously.

"Hmm, I don't know..." Nudge answered. "Wanna take a lap and look for him?"

"Sure." We found him after a few minutes.

"Maaaaaaaaaax! I've been looking for you!" Fang cried, walking up and hugging me.

"Hey..." I replied. "How do you like the party?"

"It's okay, I guess... but I missed you!" he drawled.

I laughed awkwardly. Fang was tipsy, to say the least.

"Let's go outside," he suggested. "I need... some air."

I followed him out the door to the backyard. It was mostly empty; there were a few people making out, but that was all.

"Ooh, a hammock! I love hammocks." he declared, leading me towards it and smiling goofily. Ooookay...

We laid down on the hammock together, and Fang immediately snuggled up against me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Mmm, Max, I love you," he murmured in my ear.

"I love you, too... How much did you drink, Fang?"

"A bit." He nuzzled me and hummed. I ran my fingers through his hair and scratched his scalp gently.

"Max?"

"Hm?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah."

"I love you," he repeated. Yeah, I got that part.

"I love you, too," I patiently replied.

"Like... a lot," he continued.

"Yup," I chuckled. I couldn't wait to make fun of him for this later.

"You're pretty."

"So are you," I replied. I hoped he wouldn't act this way all night.

"Max..."

"Yes?"

"I'm always too scared to tell you this..." My heart stopped.

"Scared to tell me what?" I pressed.

"That I love you... Like, _love_ love you," he answered with a smile.

"Wh–What do you mean?" I stammered. Oh, my God.

"Like...I'm _in_ love with you."

I almost started crying and hugging him, but then I remembered. He's drunk.

"Well... Tell me that when you're sober," I blurted. I got up and ran away from the hammock. I always run away.

* * *

**Thanks for all the fab reviews so far, dudes :-) Love you so muchhhh**

**(P.S. you should sign in when you review so that I can message you back and scream about how much I love you)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 / February 18, 2013 / 2,550 words

**Debating whether to wrap this up in the next chapter or to continue. I'm leaning towards ending it. This is always how I imagine their personalities and relationship, so I'll surely end up making another story with a similar setting.**

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a massive headache. _This is why I never get drunk, _I thought to myself. Ugh.

I couldn't even remember what happened the night before. I had a vague recollection of Max being upset, which was probably because I was drunk. She's really big on doing everything involving drugs and alcohol in moderation.

After I dozed for another half hour or so, Ella came in my room and sat on the bed. "Fang, get up. I made you some breakfast. And we need to talk."

I groaned. Max was _definitely_ gonna be pissed.

I went downstairs and ate the breakfast my sister cooked for me gratefully. See, even if we're annoyed with each other, we'll still look out for each other. We're both going to fuck up sometimes.

"So... What happened last night?" Ella asked. Well...

"I don't really know, honestly. I think Max got mad at me," I replied.

"You think? She was really freaked when she got home, dude. And then you didn't answer your phone or anything, so I had to drive back to the party an hour later and look for you. Since when are you a big drinker?"

"I'm not," I answered. "I'm so confused... Did Max say why she was upset?"

"No; I think you just said something that bothered her. You should go ask her," Ella urged.

"But it's too early in the morning, and she's gonna yell at me..." I grumbled.

"Suck it up, Fang. You're the one who fucked up here."

A couple of hours later, I was in Max's room; my hangover not so severe anymore. She stiffened when she saw me.

"Hey..." I began tentatively. "How was the party for you?"

She just stared at me.

"Bad?" I asked. She gave me a funny look.

"Do you remember it?"

"Uh, not really..." I answered nervously.

Max just nodded, looking displeased. I decided to keep trying.

"What happened?"

"You say interesting things when you're drunk, Fang," she replied, pretending to be disinterested, but I could hear her funny tone of voice.

"Can you just fill me in? I'm sorry for getting drunk. I really don't remember or have any idea why I did," I apologized impatiently.

She paused and chewed on her lip. "Don't worry about it," she told me.

"Too late, I'm worried. Please, just tell me."

Max seemed really uncomfortable; stalling by fiddling with her hands, but I wouldn't let it go.

"Did I, like, sexually harass you or something? I saw pictures of you on Facebook from last night; I bet you came on to me," I teased. She just frowned back at me.

She was so nervous and scared; I could read her like a book. "I don't get it. Please, just tell me."

Max took a deep breath. "You told me you loved me, Fang."

I froze.

"You mean..."

"Yeah. Like that," she answered.

Oh.

Have you ever felt your stomach flip with hope and your chest weighted down by anxiety at the same time? I could hardly breathe. This was the big moment, and all of a sudden I couldn't remember how to speak.

She didn't seem thrilled by the fact that I was only gaping back at her. "Well, do you wanna clear that one up?" she asked, knowing I could hear the catch in her voice. She acted like she didn't care, but it was clear that she did. Maybe my sister was right.

I rubbed my neck before answering. "I'm sorry that you had to hear it from me when I was drunk, but... yeah." Whew. At least that part was over. It took me a minute to realize that I had just officially confessed my love for Max by saying _"__but... yeah"_ and how lame of a story this would be to tell our children in ten years.

Max drew in a shaky breath and looked away. Not a great sign...

"Max..." I said quietly, my voice cracking, "Just be honest. Don't feel like you have to lie so it doesn't hurt my feelings or whatever."

"No, it's not that, Fang; it's just... I know that if we were together, I'd screw it up, and I can't lose you; it'd kill me..."

"If you think there's any way I'd leave you, then you really don't understand how much I love you," I replied softly, cracking a smile. Does this mean...?

"But either way, I'll never be what you deserve. You could do so, so much better, and you'll realize that soon enough," she argued with a pained expression.

"But you're the one I _want_, Max. That's all that matters."

* * *

I was gonna cry again. I wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and FINALLY kiss him, but I hesitated, knowing the pain I'd feel when he eventually realized that choosing me was a mistake.

"All I've wanted for years is for you to love me back, Max. I know that it's scary, but please, can we just try?" he persisted, moving so that we were only inches apart. He stroked my cheek with his thumb and whispered, "Please?"

I nodded timidly. I was trembling.

Fang looked right into my eyes one last time, making my heart speed up, and then he brought his lips down to mine.

Why is kissing so mind-blowing? When our lips touched, it was everything I dreamed it would be and more. The butterflies in my stomach were intense as ever, and a wave of adrenaline rushed through me. My eyes were closed, but I felt like I could see him better than I ever had before― every curve and crevice of his face, the way his eyelashes barely tickled my cheeks... His lips were soft and and loving; his touch was firm and protective. Fang let his guard down, and all of those walls that concealed his emotions had disappeared. Passion radiated from the kiss, and it was ecstasy for my hypersensitive nerves.

Fang and I managed not to break our kiss as we moved slowly to my bed and sat down. I straddled his lap, crossing my legs behind his back, and was somehow able to get even closer to him. I couldn't get enough. My hands were lost in his silky hair, tugging on it to pull him into me; his hands were on my hips, tracing circles on the bare skin under my shirt with his thumbs. We were so in-sync with the way we tilted our heads; the way we moved our lips.

His tongue sought entrance to my mouth, and I let it in, loving the way he ran it across my teeth and then pushed it farther in to dance with mine. I loved the way he bit my lip, hard enough so it hurt a little, making me whimper.

I traced his jawline with kisses all the way down to his neck. Fang tilted his head up in response, letting me bite and suck and leave hickeys like there was no tomorrow, and he let out these hot little grunts in response as his breathing sped up. Maybe we were moving too fast, but I didn't care; I tugged on his shirt to let him know I wanted it off. Once he had pulled it over his head, I had even more area to cover. The boy has some really hot collarbones. I gently pushed him down so we were laying on the bed, and moved down to his chest, then his abs, kissing and biting and tasting him.

"Max... Max, oh, my God. Max..." he moaned softly as I inched toward the waistband of his pants. "Max, don't... don't tease me so much..." he managed to get out. I smirked, although he couldn't see it, and ran my tongue all the way up his abs in one long lick, earning another groan from him.

Fang flipped me over and trapped me under him. I thought he might give me a lecture, but he just went right back to my lips. "Jesus," he murmured between kisses, "It's our first time making out... and you're already... trying to torture me..."

I grinned into his lips and ran a hand down his torso. "I love you, Fang."

He paused and pulled back to look at me. His gorgeous eyes stared deep into mine for a moment, and then his face glowed in a way I had never seen before. He looked like a child. Not in a weird way, but rather in the way that he looked so vulnerable, so trusting, and so warm. His eyes glimmered and his smile was so unguarded.

The look he was giving me was pure love. I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

* * *

The kisses gradually became less hungry and more comforting. Somehow, I managed to not get a complete hard-on, even with all of Max's teasing. Next time, she's gonna be sorry...

Our legs were tangled as we laid together, and I was kissing her softly between my whispers of sweet nothings. My fingers were running gently up and down her back just the way she likes, making her look all sleepy and cute. Heaven.

"Max?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you go on a date with me?"

She opened her eyes and giggled. "No way!"

I narrowed my eyes at her jokingly. She just smiled up at me all adorably. She's just too cute; it's unfair.

I got really close to her face. "Will you go on a date with me now?"

"No, you're gross."

I got on top of her and leaned down so that our lips were, like, a millimeter apart. "Now?" I murmured.

"Okay, I guess," she sighed, trying and failing to sound indifferent.

I smiled. "Good." Then I kissed her again.

* * *

The next few weeks were utter bliss. When you find out someone's in love with you, you interpret everything they say differently; or at least in my experience. Whenever he held my hand, or hugged me, or kissed my head, it had a new meaning. If he subtly brushed his hand across my butt as he walked by, I knew it was no accident. Every time he looked at me and said _"__I love you," _I knew exactly what he meant.

I guess we were in our 'honeymoon phase.' My stomach did flips whenever he walked into the room, or even just gave me a special look, when everyone else was around. We hadn't told anyone besides Ella, Iggy, and Nudge so far because we knew people were going to be _really _annoying about it. I wanted us to be able to go somewhere alone without our parents getting weird or our friends being obnoxious. It was more fun this way, actually, because we took advantage of every moment we got alone to make out, and we were always 'almost' getting caught (on purpose).

"Mmm, Max, have I ever told you that you look really fucking hot in your uniform?" Fang asked as he watched me get dressed. The last day of soccer tryouts was today, a Saturday, and both Fang and I played. He was already in his clothes.

"Yeah, Fang; you've said that every day this week," I retorted. I didn't actually mind him saying it, of course.

"Whoops," he replied with a goofy grin. I love him.

It was clear that Fang and I were both going to make varsity this year, and I was really excited. It was so cute!

I grabbed my bag and my water. "Let's go."

* * *

I won't bore you with the details of the tryout; it was just standard drills and scrimmage. I certainly will mention, however, that Fang totally made me swoon when I saw him waiting for me on the bench. He gave me one of his special smiles that are always just for me.

After jogging a lap to cool down, we were free to go. I practically skipped over to my boyfriend.

"Hey, how'd it go?" he asked, handing me a cold Gatorade and my towel.

"Good," I responded, a little out of breath, "and thank you!" I added, referring to the Gatorade that he must've bought from the vending machine. "Eughh, I'm so sweaty."

"You look cute when you're sweaty," Fang replied without missing a beat. I dried myself off with my towel anyway.

"You're out early," I commented. "Thanks for coming." He was my ride home, and normally I'd just meet him at the car, so it was nice of him to come pick me up.

"Yeah, Coach had somewhere to go and said we could just leave. So, of course, I had to come watch the amazing Max. You looked good out there," he remarked, smirking. "In more ways than one..."

I rolled my eyes. "God, Fang, you never stop. You've been wanting to say all this stuff to me all along, huh?" I teased.

He grinned sheepishly. "Maybe..."

I whacked him on the side of the head gently and started walking towards the parking lot. He caught up with me and hooked an arm around my waist, which I loved.

"I can't wait for this season!" I cheered, bouncing up and down a little. "We're gonna be so good!"

"So are we; I'm excited, too... but we're not gonna have as much, like, snuggle time."

I giggled at the fact that he used the word snuggle. Love does things to people.

"Aren't our practice schedules the same, though? I don't think it'll be too bad," I reasoned.

"Wait, they are? Oh, that's great!" he replied. I smiled and took his hand.

When we got home, I insisted that we take showers before laying down together.

"I don't wanna walk all the way home, though. Can we just, like, shower together?" he suggested, trying to keep a straight face.

I threw a pillow at him. "First of all, let me remind you that you live across the street. Second of all, no way. You can use my shower after me," I decided.

"Fine," he chuckled.

* * *

Max says I make too many sexual comments, but she's the one who teases me constantly. Like when she came back from showering just in her towel and told me not to look as she got changed. Or like when she put on those goddamn tight yoga pants and a v-neck.

"Showerrrrr," she ordered, trying to drag me off the bed.

"But I'm dry now! Now we can hang out!" I argued.

"That's gross, Fang. Just take, like, a five minute shower."

I always keep some extra clothes at Max's house, so I grabbed them and trudged to the bathroom. When I got in there and noticed that it was still warm and steamy and smelled like that fruity shit she uses, I realized it wasn't so bad.

I hurried back to her room when I was finished and tackled her on the bed. Hehe.

"Fang!" she shrieked, trying to push me off of her. I just laughed and wrestled with her, and eventually, she couldn't stop laughing, either. And then we were kissing again.

I love my life.

* * *

**And there's the Fax, lovelies! :) Pleasepleaseplease review!**


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue / February 19, 2013 / 516 words

(please don't kill me omg 500 words wtf)

* * *

"If you grope me one more time, Fang, I swear to God..."

"You swear to God what?"

Our relationship felt so natural. It was weird at first, but after a few months, there was no more nervousness or hesitance. Nope, none at all.

Fang and I were alone at his house, watching a movie, and snuggling under a blanket. It still felt really, really great to be close to him, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't about to have a heart attack every time, you know?

Anyway, I punched him in the crotch, and he keeled over, groaning. I honestly didn't mind it all that much, but if I just let him grope me all the time, well, where's the fun in that?

"What was that for? You're so mean," he whined, dragging out the last word. I rolled my eyes.

He sat back up, and I gently pushed him so he was lying down and I was on top of him. I don't know what it is that makes boys' chests so amazing to rest on, but I loved it. Fang smirked at me and ran his fingers up and down my back, immediately relaxing me.

I smiled softly, remembering that it wasn't all that long ago that I would've done anything to be in the position I am now. The last thing I'd be doing back then was playing hard-to-get. I remembered how much I despised and envied Lissa. I ended up realizing that Lissa being a complete bitch totally paid off for me, so I wasn't mad at her at all anymore. I mean, I didn't want to be her friend, but I never worried about her.

The next thing I remembered was going out with Dylan. I was still unsure about whether his intentions were good and bad, but I knew that I could trust Fang, and that's all that really mattered. Fang could be a douche and annoying and a pain in the ass, but at the end of the day, I loved him and all of his flaws. I loved him more than anything in the world. He still set off fireworks inside me every time we made out; I was still as head over heels for him as I was in the beginning. How he managed to make me feel totally relaxed and comfortable but also give me butterflies at the same time, I do not know.

And, yeah, Fang and I have had sex, if you didn't figure that. It was perfect. You know when people say _'__making love'_ and you wanna barf? Well, that's what my first time was. It was all about how much we loved each other.. It was gentle, it was blissful, it was beautiful.

"Fang?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's get married."

He chucked. "Okay."

I perked up a bit, interested. "Really?"

"Well, not now, Max, but yeah, someday."

"You better keep that promise!" I ordered.

He laughed silently. "You're crazy."

"Mmm, maybe," I replied, leaning down to kiss him.

He smiled into my kiss. "I love you, Max."

"I love you, too, Fang."

* * *

**Let me make a few things clear:**

**I didn't plan out this story at all, so I couldn't really make it long. **

**I'll probably have a new story up in the next day or two.**

**Your reviews made me really happy, so thank you! :)**

**Max giving that kid a handjob really wasn't weird.**

A lot of people seemed really weirded out by that, which would make more sense if I had gotten descriptive about it, but here's the thing: Max is sixteen. Max is semi-popular. Max was at a party.

I'm a sixteen-year-old girl myself, so please just trust me on this. Them going to third base or even all the way wouldn't be that weird.

I'm certainly not saying that it would be normal for every girl in the school to be doing what Max did, and some schools have really different social norms than others. So, at one school it might be normal to have full-on sex at a party, while at another it's a big deal to have made out with someone. I've been in both of those social situations.

If Maximum Ride wasn't geared towards younger kids as well as teens, it would be way more adult. They're kids in a very adult situation. They've pretty much taken care of themselves for years.

The idea that those kids don't swear is pretty ridiculous. Also, Fang would certainly be thinking about banging Max, like, all the time. And being in a lab where people don't have a problem with emotionally and physically abusing children? At _least_ the girls (if not also the boys) would've been raped; if not by the scientists, then by other experiments.

I don't know if you've read any of James Patterson's regular novels, but in those, he has no shame about swearing or sex or violence. It was probably really weird for him to have to censor all of that out of MR.

I kind of got off topic there, but I've always thought this. I dunno. Sorry you just had to read my weird rant.

Anyway, that's the end of Second Choice. Hope you liked it :-)


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